Aaron Rodgers laments negative talk in Packers’ locker room

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he believes in the power of positive thinking, so hearing negative comments from some teammates got under his skin after a surprising 27-22 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

When asked about the Pack’s second-half defensive woes against the Giants, star cornerback Jaire Alexander said he isn’t concerned – yet.

“I ain’t worried, but if we lose next week [against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field], then I’ll be worried,” Alexander said, ESPN reported. “But it’s a new situation for everybody. New circumstances, sleep patterns. It’s a whole adjustment here in London.”

Rodgers made clear that he didn’t want to hear that kind of chatter.

“Frankly, I don’t like all this conversation about losing next week,” Rodgers told reporters. “I’m a firm believer in the power of words and manifestation. And we’ve got to check ourselves on that, because talking about that is not winning football. There was conversation about it in the locker room, and I don’t like it. Ja’s my guy, but we don’t need to be talking like that.”

The star quarterback said he heard similar sentiments from other teammates, as well.

The Packers led 20-10 at halftime but struggled to move the ball in the second half. Meanwhile, the Giants strung together three consecutive scoring drives (and tallying 207 yards of offense in the process) to pull off the upset. 

Green Bay fell to 3-2 on the season, while New York improved to 4-1.

“We need to handle adversity a little better. We’re a little bit of a roller-coaster team at times,” Rodgers said, per Madison.com. “Our best teams have been more steady, so we’ve got to find that rhythm and that steadiness. The biggest issue — and again, I wish I had this perfect answer or explanation of this — we haven’t played consistent football in all three phases, and the margin of error for us in winning is small.”